Fast Lane
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Digest: Suffering Servant
The suffering and death of Jesus is very familiar to people who have grown up hearing the story for a long time. Familiarity causes us at times to lose the shock and sense of the strangeness, even incomprehensibility, of the idea that Jesus' suffering and death is central to the loving purposes of God. So when Christians say, "I believe in Jesus Christ ... who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended to the dead", what do we think these things achieved, and how? Can any beauty be seen in these terrible events?
Tags: Digest: Apostles' CreedRead more... -
From Roger: A Ministry Mind Shift
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This week, the staff and interns of St Matthew’s attended the two day workshop “The Trellis and the Vine Workshop” which was organised by the Perth Gospel Partnership. Our workshop leader was Colin Marshall who has written a book by the same title (available through Matthias Media).
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Interserve Event
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From Interserve's WA branch: Did you know that one teacher supporting missionary kids can keep up to twenty missionaries in the field! Even while doing that, they can be making a significant local spiritual contribution at the same time.
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Digest: Incarnate Son
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The Apostles' Creed may seem simply to be a fairly arbitrary list of things Christians believe in, and the logic of the selection and its order may not be immediately apparent. However, I suggest that the creed is centred on the unfolding "career" of Jesus Christ - his birth, suffering, death, resurrection, ascension, reign and return.
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Digest: Founding Father
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It was great to kick off the new sermon series on the Apostle's Creed on Sunday, and it's great to resume Digest for term 2 here now. I hope that using these studies enriches your appreciation of the great truths we will cover in the Apostle's Creed. The first section (of five) that we will tackle is, "I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth."
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Trinity Theological College Open Day
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It's term 2 and so our friends at Trinity Theological College are beginning the Trinity at Night courses on Evangelism (with Scott Rowland) and Isaiah (with Stephen Daly). Trinity is also holding its Open Day on May 19 to provide an opportunity for people to come to the College and find out more about what the college has to offer for theological study at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. If you wish to be prepared for effective Christian service, Trinity would love to help in that task.
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From Rory: Internship at St Matthew’s
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The St Matthew's internship programme is based on the simple educational philosophy: some things are best learned by doing. Many roles in society—from being a baker to a plumber to a doctor—recognize this. They set up mentor and apprentice relationships where learning happens in the context of doing, with regular feedback and encouragement. That’s the sort of thing we are trying to do in the internship programme here at St Matthew’s.
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From Roger: Thoughts on Discipleship and St Matthew's
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One of my morning readings this week was Peter’s sermon to fellow Jews in Acts 3. Peter says that Jesus is the promised Messiah who is received into heaven and who will restore all things. As Moses said of him – “you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people” (Acts3:22-23). I was reminded of the voice from heaven at Jesus’ transfiguration – “this is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” I was also reminded of the words of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20 where making disciples includes teaching them to obey everything that Jesus has commanded them. Discipleship is about listening to and obeying everything Jesus commands.
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Helping church services to work better
This article called Better Church from The Briefing website might be especially useful for those in the congregation who lead the services, or do things up the front from time to time, but I think it makes stimulating reading for anyone who sits through church services regularly, and tries to figure out what it is all about. Let me know what you think.
Tags: Church and Ministry -
The Apostles' Creed: Our Next Sermon Series
After we have spent a couple of weeks with Paul and the Ephesian Christians in Acts over the school holidays (thanks, Jeff and Dave), we will start a five week series on the Apostles' Creed. The Apostles' Creed is an old summary of what Christians believe to be the big truths about the world. This series is both a mini-systematic theology and, God willing, and great encouragement and guide to Christian living see how believing the gospel of God changes our outlook and then our desires and our behaviour. I'm looking forward to it - join us.
Tags: 5pm Community
Slow Lane
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Jesus' Descent into Hell
Written by Ben Underwood
You might have been intrigued at some stage about the creed's profession that, "I believe in Jesus Christ ... who ... descended into hell" (or, more recently, "descended to the dead"). What is it talking about? I said little directly about it in the sermon on Sunday. Here's a little more.
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Peter Adam's Prayers
Written by Ben Underwood
A few weeks ago in a sermon I quoted some prayers that Peter Adam (former Principal of Ridley College in Melbourne) wrote for his personal daily use, and which I heard him share at a Trinity College pastors' morning. Since then a number of people have asked me if they could have a copy of the prayers. I wrote to Peter and he has been gracious enough to allow me to post them here. He did make the following useful comment about them: "Of course the point is not that people should pray these particular prayers, but that people should work out what prayers they need to pray each day. They are written for someone in ministry: a plumber would need other content!"
I am posting them as images, I'm afraid, as they are too long for me to type out again.
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How To Go To Church – Be A Host.
Written by Ben Underwood
Recently I have come across an atheist writer and a Christian minister make the same observation about what (ideally) people do at church. It might not be what you expect; it is not to do with singing, praying, learning or sharing in sacraments. Both the atheist writer Alain de Botton and the former bishop of Armidale, Peter Brain, commended being a host as something good that Christians do at church.
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The Road
Written by Ben Underwood
It's been a long time since I posted a book review, but I read an intense and thought provoking novel: The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, and I've put a review up over at my quietest blog, Bookshelf. This is a confronting novel, but a serious novel grappling with questions about the presence of God in the world (it seems to me).
Tags: Book Review -
Easter Services at St Matthew's
Written by Ben Underwood
We'd love you to join us at St Matthew's on Good Friday and Easter Day as we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, events which are still reverberating around the world and in our lives.
Good Friday, April 6
9:30am Rosalie School
Easter Day, April 8
(These are the usual Sunday times)
8am at St Matthew's
(Traditional Service)
10am at Rosalie School
(Contemporary, Family Service)
10:15am at St Matthew's
(International Congregation)
5pm at St Matthew's
(Contemporary, Family Service)
6:30pm St Matthew's Unichurch
(at 260 Bagot Rd, Subiaco) -
Ash Wednesday
Written by Ben Underwood
Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, the period of forty days before Easter Day. It is traditionally a period of self examination, repentance and self denial. Often churches hold a service on Ash Wednesday. In lieu of a service, I thought I'd post an Ash Wednesday sermon of mine from a few years ago:
"Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when He said ‘Repent’, willed that the whole life of believers should be repentance."
Thesis 1 of Luther’s 95 Theses of 1517.Read more... -
Pray for a new gospel venture to germinate here.
Written by Ben Underwood
At St Matthew’s we love the local church. God does great things for people through the teaching of his word in the community of each congregation, and we’d love to see more of these great things happening in Perth and around the world. This is why we have multiplying ministries as one of our four top priorities. (The others are discipleship, leadership development and missions)
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Jasper Jones Against Religion
Written by Ben Underwood
This year, various people recommended to me Jasper Jones, a novel by WA author Craig Silvey, and when I saw it on my mother’s bookshelf, I took the chance to borrow it and read it. I find myself having to get a few things off my chest about it.
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Blaise Pascal
Written by Ben Underwood
I spoke a little about the talented M. Pascal (1623-1662) in my sermon on Sunday. A couple of people were interested in him. I quoted from his Pensees in the sermon. I have the Penguin Classics edition (heaps of other editions available too). Another book that I have read and enjoyed that tries to give a guided tour of some of the main lines of thought of Pascal’s rather unfinished and disorganised set of pensees is Making Sense of It All, by Thomas Morris. Pascal is very witty, modern and passionate. Maybe you’d enjoy what he has to say. Put him on your Christmas list, if the taste on Sunday piqued your interest.
Tags: Apologetics -
A Prayer for St Matthew's Leadership
Written by Ben Underwood
Almighty God, Maker and Judge of all,You give your church the gifts of pastors, teachers and leaders, so that your saints might be watched over, taught, and equipped to serve.
We thank you for those who exercise these ministries at St Matthew’s. Give them your Spirit of power, love and self discipline; May they hold the truths of the faith with a clear conscience, and teach them insightfully, diligently, faithfully and fearlessly.
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